


Looking for Home

by Lyrishadow



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29483625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyrishadow/pseuds/Lyrishadow
Summary: Losing Shepard is hard on everyone, and those who know what is coming are looking for ways to survive with their love and life intact. Kaidan Alenko is no different, so when the chance came to go to Andromeda he accepted it; then he met Sara Ryder. Then his friend turned up alive.Say goodbye to the Milky Way…
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Ryder | Sara
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1





	1. Goodbye Old Places

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU where Kaidan Alenko comes to Andromeda.

**_Andromeda Initiative Office, Vancouver, Earth. 2183_ **

"Sara, are you listening?" Scott’s voice on her omni-tool demanded.  
"Sure." She stopped where she was and gave all her attention to her twin brother and the latest in his problematic relationship. It would be over soon, she figured since they left for Andromeda in mere months.  
"... and I'm pretty sure I was right the whole time.."

"Thanks, Major Alenko, I look forward to having you on the team." Her dad was saying by the door. Two things made Sara's jaw drop. The first was the sight of her father voluntarily shaking the hand of an ex-Alliance officer, the second was who that man was, everyone knew about Commander Shepard’s crew. Major Kaidan Alenko stood in front of her father right now, with a smile shaking his hand.  
“Sara? Oh, c’mon you know this is important to me!” Scott sounded exasperated so Sara turned around to stop herself from staring and answered him.  
“You have my undivided attention. Just hurry, these books are heavy.”  
“Books?”  
“They are for a project - going to be put to a datapad so we can have a library in Andromeda… anyhow... What’s going on?”  
“It’s Tib, he’s being an ass.”  
“You are dating him precisely because he is an ass.”  
“But that's not what I mean…”  
“Scott, in three days you are going to say goodbye and ship out. I don’t think that…”  
“He’s coming to Andromeda.”  
“You had to pick up a Turian who is coming to Andromeda… Scott!”  
“I.. wait... He’s here I better go talk to him,"Scott dropped his tone and sighed " maybe I am being the ass..”  
“Ok fine.” Scott was dating a Turian named Tiberin, Tib was as turians go an alright sort, but still strict, and often clashing with Scotts, less than ideally neat organizational skills and attention to being on time. “Seriously, such an idiot!”  
"Me?”A voice next to her said, startling her out of her thoughts, making her drop her books.  
“I.. um.” Sara floundered as she looked up into honey brown eyes and a soft gentle smile.  
“Not you… my brother. I am sorry…” she tried to pick up the books and found that Kaidan Alenko had bent down at the same time, they nearly hit heads but Sara reflexively had her biotic shield up.“Good reflex,” Kaidan murmured as her biotics flared purple around her, Sara looked at him again, this time not as surprised to see him there.  
“I overheard my Dad welcome you to the team.”  
“Yeah, he wants me to be his second.”  
“Ah. I am the nominated recon specialist.” Sara smiled “In a nutshell, I like to poke around and get in trouble.”  
“Sounds about right.” Kaidan stuck out a hand to help her up. “Your brother is coming too?”  
“Scott? If he can tear himself away from his boyfriend for 600 years, yes.” Sara shook her head “They have been dating a while, a turian actually, that’s what you heard me muttering about.”  
“Your Dad was saying you were one of the best in the Alliance before…”  
“Before his little project black marked us? I don’t know about one of the best, but.. I thought I knew what I was doing.”  
“Need a hand carrying these someplace?” Kaidan pointed to her stack of books.  
“I am dropping them off at the Initiative headquarters actually.”  
“Free for a coffee? We could at least get to know each other a little bit before we leave, some memories of this place would be nice to have, with a friend.”  
“I would like that,” Sara blushed, suddenly feeling shy in light of who she was talking to“ I um, it would be a privilege to be considered your friend.”  
“Ah. My history precedes me?” He chuckled as he took the heavier books off her hands.  
“A little bit.” Sara smiled.  
“Let’s get these dropped off then.”

They dropped the books off to be added to the datapad project - an easier way for people to borrow and read books. Sara didn’t remember how she got roped into the bring the library to Andromeda project but she didn’t mind - she loved reading.  
“So any preference?”  
“Somewhere where they don’t make Alliance grade coffee?”  
“That is a fairly low bar to aim for.” Kaidan grinned “Let’s see, I think I know the place.”  
Sara soon found herself seated across from Kaidan, and talking about the initiative, and how it was a chance for something good.  
“So, you have my permission to ask the questions burning in your mind when you meet someone new.” Sara said with a grin “I don’t even care if it sounds like an interrogation; you have a great voice, and I could listen to it a lot.”  
“Uh… Me? My voice?” Kaidan laughed “Fine. So where did you grow up? I know you are not local to Vancouver.”  
“Well, we were born in California, then Dad was stationed on the Citadel so we spent most of our formative years up there running around with the sons and daughters of the ambassadors; then mom got sick, and dad moved us to Singapore, where he claimed the best doctors in the world were, and then we moved back to New York as mom got sicker - that is where she was from.”  
“Was?” Kaidan leaned forward, a slight frown and concern in his eyes.

“Yeah, we lost her last year. It … pushed us, Scott and I at least, to head for Andromeda.”  
“So you said Scott has a boyfriend?”  
“Tiberian, he’s alright, really. Just… normal turian.” Sarah smirked, “you know you can take the turian out of the army but they still need everything just so.. Scott is … not a just-so person.”  
“What about you? Do you have anyone here?”  
“No, never found anyone I connected with, don’t see the point in relationships if you can’t do a long term thing, and don’t see the point in hookups.” Sara shrugged “So I am not leaving anyone behind. Or hoping their ark makes it. I guess I do kind of feel for Scott.”  
“Sir, your coffees.” The waitress delivered two large lattes, with cream and a swirl of caramel on top.  
“Um we haven’t ordered yet.”Kaidan objected staring at the two drinks with surprise.  
“Well.” The waitress blushed but gestured behind her to the barrister “He was on the citadel, you saved his life; so… he wants you and your friend to relax and have a drink, on the house.”  
“Oh. thanks.” Kaidan nodded and frowned as the waitress walked back to her post.  
“That must get awkward,” Sara murmured, leaning forward slightly to gently touch Kaidan's arm. "I heard what happened to your ship."  
"Yeah been nearly two years now." Kaidan sighed. "So your turn?"  
"Questions for you?" Sara thought for a moment, " Why Andromeda?"  
"A few reasons, having lost my best friend hasn't helped," Kaidan ran a hand over his neck "When I first heard about space, as a kid, I wanted to explore, to discover… I wanted to see new things but.."  
"Everythings been seen and done?" Sara found herself saying, then covered her mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean.."  
"It's ok, usually it takes people a lot longer to get a grasp of what I mean." He grinned at her excited that she had known exactly what he was trying to say "My parents are coming along too. There are other reasons for going, but I can't tell you yet."  
"Yet?"  
"Well, top-secret still." He took a sip of his coffee. "Going to miss this."  
"Coffee?"  
"Yeah, and Vancouver." He gestured "my folks owned a place overlooking English Bay."  
"I wish I had those kinds of roots, never felt I belonged anywhere." Sara sighed "we both know the citadel is temporary. I guess that's why I liked Prothean dig sites."

"I worked with Liara T'soni, learned a little bit about Protheans from her," Kaidan replied, a sudden grin tugging at the corners of his mouth again, as he lifted a serviette and wiped Sara's cheek. Sara froze, her eyes wide like an animal caught in headlights. "You, ah, had some cream on your face.."

"Oh. Thanks." Sara was not annoyed, and that in itself annoyed her. Her omni-tool beeped. "Oh it's Scott… give me a second."  
"No problem." Kaidan turned to his own omni-tool and was typing something.

"Scott. What now?"  
"Yeah sis I love you too," Scott could definitely be a brat sometimes "Just wanted you to know I sorted things with Tib so um, you can take your time out and about…"  
"Scott!" Sara wasn't even sure she was surprised anymore "Fine. I'm having coffee with a friend anyhow."  
"Wait, who? Sara… you don't know anyone… who is it? Is he cute?" The blush started creeping up her cheeks as she glanced at Kaidan involuntarily when Scott asked, only to meet his eyes and see his mouth twitching as he stifled a laugh.  
"Shut up Scott." Sara replied, covering her face with her other hand "you can stop embarrassing me now."  
"Ah-ha! So it is a he!" Scott crowed, some semblance of victory.  
"Yes. Yes, he's cute, and yes he's just a friend, you are going back to Tib now."  
"Haha, bye Sara."  
"He's going to be the death of me." She said as she hung up, looking over she saw Kaidan smiling at her. "Do you have siblings?"

"No, but the crew on a ship can feel that way sometimes," Kaidan grinned " So you have been kicked out of the hotel today?"  
"Just today, his boyfriend heads back to Palavin tomorrow. We start final phase preparations, including implants." Sara nodded at Kaidan "Are the rumors true, you are an L2?"  
"What do you mean by rumors and yes I am. The SAM implant will stabilize that though."  
"I'm not a fan like that, gods it sounds like I have been stalking you." Sara shook her head " my mom was one of the researchers trying to improve the implants. "  
"Is that how you and Scott were exposed?"  
"Yeah. I mean, I don't hate being biotic, but Scott always has."  
"You two are very different?"  
"It's weird, different, more like.. . I need him so I can breathe and he needs me, so he can too. We are hella competitive, and he's always been the better soldier, better shot, and more outgoing."  
"Well, I think you are going fine." Kaidan gestured at the coffee cup that now sat empty, and himself.  
"Yeah, I've only badly flirted with you, sounded like a stalker, and talked too much about myself." Sara sighed.  
"Flirted with me?"  
"Yeah. See what I mean." Sara pulled a face "Sorry, long time crush, first time meeting."  
"Give me some time to think, to process the idea… " Kaidan replied.  
"Really?" Sara raised her eyebrows  
"Your Dad would kill me if I was anything but a gentleman." Kaidan reminded her with a chuckle.  
"My Dad has scared off nearly every guy I have liked." Sara laughed with Kaidan, it felt good to be with someone who made her laugh at things.  
" Your Dad's one of the original N7, I guess anyone would have to be stubborn to get past that."  
"True, he trained us you know, I might not be N7 but he taught us some tricks."  
"I will keep that in mind." Kaidan grinned "So what can we get up to in an afternoon?"  
"See this is why I like you." Sara laughed, "technically we only just met and I feel like I've known you for ages, also I don't want to stop spending time with you."  
"That's.." Kaidan blushed, and Sara covered her face with her hands.  
"Again with the big mouth. Look if you have other things to do or you just want to leave that's fine. You don't have to feel.."  
"The same?" Kaidan finished reaching over to remove her hand from her face"I was hoping to find a friend you know."  
"Good, once you have me, you don't get rid of me."  
"If there is more than friends that, well, that might take time," Kaidan admitted "But I will admit its a possibility I look forward to dreaming about for you know, six hundred years."  
"Which we have, or will have." Sara nodded "Going to be nice being a civilian."  
"Hum.. no rules against a lot of things." Kaidan nodded, he was going to like being able to relax a little as well.  
"C'mon, there was a fairground I saw down near the bay." Sara grinned "I saw it on my way in this morning."

As Kaidan and Sara rounded the boardwalk for English bay, Kaidan paused by an artist who was drawing portraits of people with the water as a background.  
“C’mon.” Kaidan grabbed Sara’s hand and they leaned on the railing as the artist set to work drawing and sketching their picture. Kaidan smiled at the idea of having the English bay as a backdrop and Sara in the same image and planned to take it with him to Andromeda.  
The artist signaled that he was done and showed the finished piece to the two people in it, Kaidan was delighted with the colors and style of the artist.  
“Thank you it is amazing.”  
“Oh, that’s going to look great framed!” Sara commented making both the artist and Kaidan look at her with a smile.  
“Your wife is very pretty sir.” The artist said, “It was a pleasure to draw you both.”  
“Ah…”  
“Let’s go.” Kaidan grabbed Sara’s arm, the artwork securely rolled into a tube for transport.  
A bit further down the boardwalk, they both started to laugh.  
“Do we really look married?” Sara asked giggling “I think that was a bit much.”  
“He called you pretty though.” Kaidan pointed out with a grin as they went further into the fair “Hungry?”  
“Always, sadly.” Sara replied, “oooh hot dogs, donuts, have a feeling we won’t get these” she was staring at the food before she added, "where we are headed.”

They ate three hotdogs, and several different types of cake before they were full. Being a biotic, having a fast metabolism meant they could eat more of the contraband than they probably ought to.  
“Most of the time,” Sara found herself telling Kaidan “I eat a healthy balanced diet, keep energy bars in my pocket, and energy drinks on hand like a good Alliance soldier.”  
“Gets to be a habit after a while.” Kaidan agreed, he had been in the military for a long time too.  
They arrived at the games section of the fair and a target shooting exercise where the lowest prize was a small stuffed toy Blasto.  
“Oh my god, it’s that Blasto collectible.” Sara laughed “Last time I saw that as a prize it was one of those claw machines and I suck at those..”  
“Want me to win it for you?” Kaidan asked with a glimmer of mischief in his eye.  
“If you think you can, I bet though it is rigged or something.” Sara pointed to the biggest prize “look that’s a larger Blasto, I could pretty much sleep with that in my bed.”  
“Bet I can get the biggest one,” Kaidan replied.  
“Ok you are on, what do you get if you win the bet?”  
“Hmmm, How about a date in Andromeda?”  
“With me? Sure.” Sara shook her head.  
“You are that confident?” Kaidan asked her "I am thinking you will have a huge Blasto to pack and squeeze into your crate."  
“It’s rigged,” she replied still shaking her head. “But if you win it, I will sleep with it in my bed and love it with all my heart.”  
“Sounds fair.” Kaidan grinned as he stepped up to the stall and placed his credit chit past the scanner. Lifting the toy gun he grunted because the weighting was well and truly off, though not impossibly so.  
“Alright sir, are you ready?”  
“Yes.” Kaidan nodded to the man who ran the booth, and he began shooting at the moving cans. Sara could only hide behind her hand.  
“Well done! I don’t think I have ever seen anyone shoot so well. You must be an Alliance Soldier?”  
“Something like that,” Kaidan replied with a smile as the man handed over the giant blasto. Sara uncovered her eyes with a dumbstruck look.  
“Oh my.” she hugged the blasto to her and grinned “He’s so soft and squishy.”  
“Glad you like him.” Kaidan laughed “Don’t forget to add me to your datebook.”  
“Right.” Sara nodded. "You might have to remind me in a few years."  
“Oh look boats.” there were small paddle boats that they could paddle on but Sara suggested they get a drink and just sit and watch them instead.

“I don’t think your art and my blasto would do well out on the water.”  
“True, let me get some coffee. Wait here?” Kaidan asked Sara nodded.  
Pulling up her omni-tool she took a photo of the blasto and sent it to Scott, she knew he would be jealous.  
An instant text back proved her right.

“Who got that for you?”

"My friend."

"Who is?"

"Alenko."

"Wth?THE Alenko?"

"Yes."

"Damn.ok."

"My blasto Scott."

Sara looked up to see Kaidan in a heated conversation with an Asari. He shook his head and gestured towards where she was waiting. The Asari seemed annoyed but nodded. Kaidan turned and walked towards Sara without looking back.  
"Everything okay?" Sara asked, seeing the frown on Kaidan's face.  
"Yes?..." Kaidan sighed as he sat down beside her "I found something out that had I known weeks ago would have changed everything."  
"The Asari?"  
"Observant."  
"Mildly jealous as well." Sara pretended to pout.  
"Don't be." Kaidan looked at her with a smile that revealed nothing "You have been a major part of the shift in direction."  
"Ah.." Sara was about to say 'don't plan your life around me' but noticed Kaidan was looking sad.  
"Ok, so as lines go that sounded much better in my head." He stated at his hands "Carson Shepard is alive."  
"But how?"  
"That is what I said, and ah I didn't like the answer."  
"Kaidan, I'm sorry. This makes coming with us such a…"  
"Stop right there. I will be with you. I will impress your dad." Kaidan smirked at her " and I will get permission to date his daughter."  
"You are an optimist. We might just have to sneak around." Sarah replied, shaking her head, they had fallen into an easy friendship.  
"Well then." Kaidan leaned against her shoulder "that could work too."

**Kaidan's message to Carson Shepard:**

> Carson Shephard,
> 
> I don’t know when you will get this.
> 
> Liara told me you were alive. It’s a bit hard to process. You know me.
> 
> You knew me better than most people could say they did, we went through hell together. Liara came to earth to convince me to stay and help you with whatever is next but, I can’t.  
> You might believe it is because of Cerberus - I know you are working with them now, but that would have been an easier way to say goodbye - leave you angry at me. I know you will do whatever it takes to save people, even if it means dancing with a partner you don’t trust.
> 
> The truth is I am leaving the milky way, a one way trip to Andromeda. My parents are coming with me, we won't be here when the Reapers come. Originally you were gone when we planned this, there was no hope for us anymore; then you came back so I still believe you can destroy the Reapers. You don't need me for that though.
> 
> There is another thing, it might make you laugh at me, or sound stupid but I met someone special, and I’m willing to follow her across the galaxy just to have a chance to be friends.
> 
> You were always an amazing person to know, inspiring as a Commander, loyal as a friend; someday we will read about you in history as a Champion.  
> Thank you for everything.
> 
> Goodbye
> 
> Kaidan.


	2. Not in Kansas Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they arrive in Andromeda, six hundred years have passed and Kaidan Alenko has every reason to make sure this trip is as successful as the pamphlets claimed it would be.   
> Andromeda has other ideas: other plans to throw things at them, challenges begin when they wake up.   
> Energy clouds? Golden world? Whatever else at least there is the Pathfinder?

Andromeda  
634yrs

"We made it." Sara exhaled as she got her bearings. Cryo bay, Hyperion, and Andromeda. All three good things. She tried to stand.  
"Take it easy. Pathfinder team huh? Find us someplace good."   
"Let's start with finding her a coffee?"  
Waking up was going well, the pathfinder team, Scott, Sara, Kaidan, Cora, and a few others Sara had yet to meet.   
"Ryder's, Alenko to the bridge." Her father's voice cut through her thoughts.  
It was like the first day of boot camp all over again, except the captain in charge was their father.  
"Let’s check your implant." The Asari doctor said “Sam? Sam are you online?”  
“Good morning Doctor T'Perro” The AI’s voice seemed pleasant enough, Sara drank another sip of coffee, it was going to be a good day. “Good Morning Sara, how are you?”  
“Ready to get to it!” She said putting her cup down and catching a glimpse of Kaidan awake on the other side of the room. That was when the world tipped, or more specifically the gravity.  
“What was that?” A scraping sound, an awful noise to hear inside a ship, like the collision of two cars in an accident. Sara looked at Doctor T’Pero with concern.   
“I don’t know.”   
“Shit!” That was when the gravity went out in the cryo bay.  
“Watch out for that needle!” One nurse could be heard desperately yelling.  
“Ah! My head!” Another person complained, another member of the pathfinder team by the looks of his uniform.   
“I got this.” Cora called over the PA system “Prepare to have gravity reset in the cryo bay.”  
With a thunk, everything went back to normal.  
“Well, that wasn’t good,” Sara muttered looking around, trying to figure out if everyone was okay.  
“Ah Doctor T’Perro, we have a problem here!” A man called from the other side of the room  
“It’s Scott Ryder.”  
“What?”Sara gasped, her brother; she hastily moved to where they were scanning his pod.  
“Is he okay?” she asked “I can’t… I can’t lose him.”  
“Sara. He’s fine.” Doctor T’perro replied, “His stasis revival was interrupted, but Scott is okay, all his vitals are fine, we just need to give him more time to wake up.”  
“Ok.” Sara exhaled as she felt a soft touch on her arm.  
“Is he okay?” Kaidan asked softly behind her.  
“I don’t know.”Sara looked up at Kaidan, not an ounce of pretense in her expression as she added “He better be okay, I can’t do this alone.”  
“I know.” Kaidan glanced at the doctor and staff busy working on the stasis pod “He’s in good hands Sara, let’s get to the bridge huh?”  
“Ok, I… “ Sara exhaled and inhaled two deep breaths to calm herself. “I will meet you at the Tram.”  
“Ok.” Kaidan nodded, “Take a moment when we get there to catch your breath.’  
“I’m ok.” she looked up, and Kaidan saw the soldier in the woman for the first time, a strong, determined gaze, one that was ready for anything. No wonder her father had said she was one of the best, he had only seen that kind of determination once before; and now he needed to obey orders instead of admiring the girl. Laughing at himself, he waited for her at the tram.

“Cora?” Sara asked of the woman who was waiting in the room outside cryo,   
“Sara,” Cora replied, looking down. Sara knew there were issues but, she had hoped that Cora would be her friend if nothing else.   
“Thanks for the save, resetting the gravity and…” they were interrupted by the sound of one of the electrical parts popping and fizzing, and a lot of smoke. Sara sighed “I spoke too soon.”  
“We need to find the fault.”  
“Sara has a scanner, she can do it.” Cora volunteered her. Sara wanted to remind Cora that everyone had a scanner but she knew what Cora meant. Her scanner was better, more sensitive, she had built the scanners for the initiative based on some they had used on dig sites, and hers had been the prototype.   
“Alright, the fault is here. “  
“Reset it at the terminal Sara?”  
“No problem, you got that Roger?”   
First name basis with the engineers, which her father would be horrified at, was one of the things that made Sara different from what others considered their leadership. She was, for all intents and purposes one of the grunts, and they treated her with respect but also as one of them.   
“It worked! Thanks! I owe you a beer!” Roger called and Sara replied with a thumbs up then sighed “I better get to the tram.”  
“Sara I…”  
“We are friends Cora, don’t be afraid of me or anything please?”  
“Afraid?”  
“Well, you were acting standoffish and..”  
“It’s your other friend.” Cora replied begrudgingly “But we will sort that out later. Go, don’t keep your dad waiting, where is Scott?”  
“I… Scott’s pod… was damaged..” Sara swallowed as Cora looked horrified   
“Sara I am so sorry.”  
“It’s ok. I’m still going. Still doing. OK. “Sara stood up straighter and nodded, “I’m off.”

“Whew.” She exhaled as she made it to the tram. “That was an adventure and we haven’t even left the cryo bay yet.”  
“True.”  
“I wonder what Dad is calling us for?”  
“You are wondering “why me”?  
“Actually, I am. I mean, I am meant to be just a grunt. I understand why he would call you but…”  
“You said he taught you N7 stuff?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Then it’s likely, perhaps, he values your opinion or something like that?”  
“Dad?”Sara sighed “I'm not close to him Kaidan, he doesn't… value me.”  
“Sorry.” Kaidan shifted “You are having a shit of a day.”  
“That. I am.”  
“Well, maybe we have found a home?”  
“Home would be nice.”

“Sara, Alenko. “ The older Ryder, with his greying hair, tired eyes welcomed them to the bridge, the Captain nodded as well, looking as though she might say something but she just shrugged at Sara and turned back to the view.  
“What the... What is that?”  
“Our sensors are down, we are trying to figure that out. Sam?”  
“It appears to be a dark energy cloud.”  
“A dark energy … wow.” Kaidan drew a deep breath “This is what knocked our power out?”  
“And has us stuck.” The Captain replied, “Alec, I need to get my ship clear.”  
“We are near Habitat 7.”  
“The golden world.” Sara replied, “If it is that.”  
“Well.” Alec Ryder sighed “The scans from the milky way showed a planet with appropriate air and climate for humanity to settle. And…” He trailed off as they cleared the last part of the dark energy.  
“Oh my god, is that our golden world?”  
“It doesn’t look very golden from here,” Kaidan replied  
“No, it doesn’t.” Sara glanced at the model then at the very real planet in the viewer, “How good are the scans?”  
“Good question.” Alec glanced at his daughter, Kaidan wondered if that was approval he saw or something close to it, still, the man was hard to read. So far he had treated Sara like a soldier. Less like someone, he was related to, and Kaidan had heard Sara say he was even worse behind closed doors.  
“Sam?” Alec asked the AI “Do we have any sensors working?”  
“Attempting to compensate for the damage from the dark matter. Apologies this is the best we have.”  
“We need to take a look.” Sara said, looking at her father “Go down get boots on the planet.”  
“That might be what we have left.”  
“Alec, we can’t waste time …”  
“If that is our golden world, we are better knowing it now than leaving here and risking all the lives on this ship.” Alec replied, “Protocol is clear, when adrift from the Nexus the pathfinder finds a place to call home.”  
“If that is our home. Alec… please, I am more concerned about the electrical outages on this ship.” The Captain replied, “I can’t risk the lives of thousands on a hunch.”  
“It’s not a hunch, it’s practical, boots on the ground seems like a good idea right now.”  
“Then” Captain Dunn closed her eyes “Let's get this done quickly.”  
“Alright. Meet us at the shuttles in five. Alenko with me.” Kaidan followed Alec out of the room reluctant to leave Sara behind.

“Is he always like that?”  
“Yeah, Dad was always the worst with people. He is good at exploring and protecting though don't worry.”  
“Not at being a dad tho huh? Sorry, kiddo.” Captain Dunn replied, “I’ve known your mum and you guys for a while now.”  
“Yeah. At least I have Scott right? Even that is going to shit right now.”Sara sighed “I have to play good soldier and get the job done.”  
“It will work out the way it is meant to.” Lani joined in quietly, she was the helmsman of the ship, “I mean, I survived Mindoir and am here, you can’t predict where life takes you. And… Sara?”  
“Yeah, Lani?”  
“Kaidan likes you a lot huh?”  
“He’s a good friend,” Sara replied blushing, hoping that it was dark enough that neither of them saw it.  
“Invite us to the wedding.” Captain Dunn replied, “Now you better get moving, or we won’t be around for anyone to have a wedding.”  
“I’m going!”

They killed themselves out in armor, collected their sidearms, and prepared to board the shuttles.   
“Doctor Carlyle?” Cora sounded surprised.  
“Alec wanted a medic.” Doctor Harry Carlyle grinned “And if that is home, I want to be the one knocking on the door.”.   
“Yeah… unless that door has a monster on the other side.”  
“Welp, I bought pliers, I can yank out the monster's claws myself.” He grinned roguishly “Come on we are up for this adventure.”  
“Alright pipe down and listen up.” Alec was standing in one of the shuttles - of course, he was already prepared, like some damn boy scout, Sara thought, not even noticing Scott was missing. “We are down one man, with Scott out. Means a little rearranging has been done on the ride down.”   
Alec looked at Sara and stepped forward “I heard what happened to your brother, he’s strong he will make it.”  
“He better, a 600-year nap and he oversleeps.”   
“I’m sure he will be okay,” Alec repeated  
“Yes Sir,” Sara replied, instinctively taking a step back. A strange expression flitted across Alec’s face as he placed a hand on her shoulder.  
“Your Mom would be proud of you, both of you.” His words were firm.  
Kaidan tried to maneuver himself so he would be on a shuttle with Sara, which garnered looks from Liam but he didn’t care; this was one mission where he was going to get what he wanted out of it, not just what he was ordered to do.  
“All of you were chosen for this because you are dreamers, like me, you dream of a new future…” Alec gave a speech, no doubt to be recorded for the history books, it sounded less like the speech that Shepard gave and more like one that was given from a podium at a large rally. Still, Kaidan nodded, and Liam grinned, it was time to make good on why they were here, in the pathfinder team.

The two shuttles took off down to the planet, Habitat 7 did not look at all like the pictures Sara had seen of it.   
“Why are the rocks floating?”  
“There’s evidence of construction down here.”  
“What do we do on the first contact again?” The last was from Liam, who seemed to have a temper and a large distrust of people in general. He had been listed as a security specialist.  
Sara leaned against the wall of the shuttle hoping the ride would even out, feeling a little rough around the edges for the shaking.  
“Oh shit, is that lightning?” she muttered making Kaidan look out and see a large arc of lightning shoot around their shuttle.  
“Yeah, we better hang on tight.”His reply came as another arc came from another direction and the shuttle dodged to the left.  
“The lightning wouldn’t hit…” Sara started to say as the shuttle shuddered again.  
“Prepare for entry.”  
“This isn’t good. Can’t hold steady.”  
“Just keep to the vectors.” Alec Ryder replied, ever the stickler for the right and wrong way to do things. Sara sighed, she knew they should turn tail and head back to the Hyperion until they figure out a way to divert the lightning off the shuttles.  
“Still having problems!”  
“Sara are you okay?” Kaidan asked seeing the woman leaning against the wall of the shuttle, Liam on the other hand was leaning on the glass of the door peering out.  
“Would you look at that?” He said pointing “It looks beautiful from here, amazing. However, I think it is trying to kill us.”  
“Possibly. We will know when we get there.”  
“Maybe so…” the door flew open at that moment and Liam was flung out, holding with one hand he grunted as Sara screamed.  
“Kosta!” Sara had her hand out, “Damn it, Kosta, grab onto my hand and oooh…”  
“Ryder!” Kaidan gasped but then realized he had problems as the shuttle started to break apart.

“Jump jets, Sam?”  
“Working as intended, Mr. Alenko,” Sam replied   
“As intended? So I presume I won’t fall to my death?”  
“Exactly.”   
“Sam, is Sara okay?”  
“I am not sure of that, the communication device that was in your shuttle was destroyed. You are currently relaying off the other one but will soon fall out of range. Good luck Mr. Alenko.”  
“You too Sam.” Out of range was no good. Kaidan got his jump jets to slow his fall and landed gently on the ground.

The air, Kaidan recalled from the trip down, was toxic to humans and that is why he double-checked his helmet. Having heard the audio of his former CO dying from not being able to breathe, he had decided never to go out that way. His next step was to figure out where the others had fallen or landed. He hoped they were alive.  
“Liam? Sara?” Kaidan called into the foreign landscape. It was a surreal place, it had mushrooms and curly plants but none of the green of the work that Alec had shown him. Certainly not the green that would lead to his parents coming out of cryo to work as farming specialists.  
“Liam?”Kaidan could see the man standing catching his breath leaning against a rock.   
“Sir!”Liam responded, seemingly unsure what to do with his hands.  
“Look, call my Kaidan.” Kaidan grinned “Are you ok?”  
“Little shaken, bruised maybe but mostly intact. You?”  
“I’m fine, my jets worked to catch me. Do you know where Sara fell?”  
“Just ahead. I was going to head that way, I heard her scream on the way down.”   
“Poor thing.” Kaidan replied, “I imagine falling out of the air wasn’t on the cards for today.”  
“Not for any of us.”  
“Very true. Let’s go find everyone shall we?”

Sara was lying on the ground breathing hard when they first spotted her, then she was standing yelling at her omni-tool. The lack of coms hadn’t reached her yet.  
“Sara?” Liam yelled “Save your breath! Our coms is out!”  
As Liam and Kaidan arrived at Sara’s side Kaidan gave her a reassuring smile “We just have to find people, if we could survive a crash like that, the rest must have too.”  
“I don’t think our shuttle did.” Sara said, “I am pretty sure it split in half.”  
“Damn.” Kaidan muttered, “Ok so where to?”  
“Let’s see where this leads, we need to get up and over to find my dad and the rest.”  
“Are you sure? Shouldn’t we just… wait here?”Liam asked frowning.  
“Not the exploration type?”  
“Oh I am all for exploring, but this place… rocks flying... Shuttles breaking in two... I don’t know… I mean… “ Liam gestured to the path they had to take, it was littered with small boulders floating in thair and Kaidan could feel it on another level, his biotics were being super sensitive to everything right now.  
“Your amp going a bit odd?” He asked Sara who nodded.  
“I thought it was just my omni tool and not having sam around; but yeah my amp is buzzing we need to get to shelter.”  
“What are you guys saying?”  
“We are saying that it’s not safe to stay here and we need to….. Run!” a large zap of lightning hit the ground not far from where they were standing, Liam’s eyes widened and he turned and they saw him take off at a run.   
“Well, that works.”   
“This planet is trying to kill us!” Liam yelped as a much smaller jolt of lightning hit his shield.  
“Up ahead is a better path, through that cave I promise you.”  
“Okay fine.” They made it to the cave and Sara noted some of their equipment had also.  
“Oh look, our communications device…. And it’s broken.”  
“Fixable?”  
“No, not unless you have a degree in quantum engineering and communication,” Sara replied perfectly seriously. “ And sadly that is Hayes, and she is with Cora in the other shuttle.”   
“Hayes is an engineer?” Liam asked amazed, “How do you know these things?”  
“I have read mission briefings, talk to people… and ask?”  
“Better than saying your dad is boss,” Liam responded with a half-laugh.  
“Yeah better than that.” Sara replied frowning “That isn’t a bonus you know. I had to work twice as hard to be promoted in the Alliance as anyone else.”  
“Sorry. Didn’t mean anything by it.”  
“It’s fine.” Sara began scanning random things “Huh, random mushroom, don’t eat it.”  
“Don’t eat it?”  
“Yeah without Sam I can’t tell if it is food or not.”  
“Here we go up here.” Kaidan pointed to a ledge above them and around some rocky parts of the path.   
“Good eyes!” Liam approved and rushed ahead.  
When they reached the top of the cliff face, Sara saw the aliens and pushed both Liam and Kaidan down, one hand on each of them until they became aware of her insistence.  
“Shh. Get down.”  
“What?”  
“See them?”  
“Isn’t that Fisher?”  
“Yeah. He’s the guy who flew our shuttle.” Kaidan replied concerned.  
“What was the first contact protocol again?” Liam asked nervously.  
“No shooting unless we have to.”  
“Biotics are not shooting.” Kaidan huffed “If they draw weapons then?”  
“Then we go hot if we have to.”  
They walked in and the alien in question shouted something unintelligible and drew his weapon.  
“Well, that didn’t work!”  
“So much for peace here,” Sara replied, sadness touching her voice though her tone was purely professional. “ You okay Fisher?”  
“Yes, you saved my life.” the man replied then grunted in pain.  
“Kaidan?”Sara asked, knowing full well that he was a trained combat medic.  
“Huh… hold still.” Kaidan checked the man’s leg and sighed, broken in two places, he was dead weight in a situation like this. “Your leg is broken.”  
“Crap.” Fisher sighed, his accent Canadian, and in normal situations, Kaidan would have had who he was and where he was from out of him before letting him relax. Instead, he pulled a small vial from his med-pack and injected the pain relief into Fisher’s leg.  
“That’s the best I can do for now. We need to get you off this planet.”  
“I can wait here, just… send someone to help when you can.”  
“You sure?”  
“I’m sure. Just kill some more of these guys on your way.”  
“Will do gladly,” Liam replied with more force than necessary.

They moved off from Fisher, a little reluctantly, leaving him with food and water in reach and the promise to send someone back for him. Over the next hill, Sara once again pulled the other two down.  
“Pay attention.” she snapped at them “There look.”  
“Kirkland.” Liam identified the man who was currently trying to bargain for his life with the aliens.  
“This isn’t good.” Sara muttered, “Let's go.”   
She stood and took her gun, her biotics flaring purple as she began to charge at the aliens around Kirkland. With Kaidan and Liam picking them off while she kept them distracted they had the small group soon dealt with.  
“Shit,” Sara muttered as she walked over to Kirkland. Kaidan hurried over and checked for vitals shaking his head.  
“Sorry, we were too late to save him.”  
“Damn it.” Liam was angry, and it was then Kaidan realized Liam was not ex-military; and the attitudes to losing people were different.  
“Chill Liam, funnel the anger to something else.” Sara suggested, “We have more fighting to go.”  
“Ok.” Liam nodded.”Let’s find your old man.”  
“Sara, have a look at this stuff... How old do you think it is?” Kaidan was reminded of the prothean beacon on Eden Prime, so he didn’t touch anything as he directed her attention to it. Sara ran her scanner over it in surprise.  
“It wasn’t there when we left the milky way. Six hundred years is a long time, but to build all this is… incredible.”   
“It scans as old?”  
“Yeah, it is really old.” Sara sighed “I wish I had Sam right now, I could tell you more.”  
“Do you think it’s making that sound?”  
The rush of energy flow was making her amp feel overcharged and she nodded as she absently rubbed the spot where her amp was.  
“Time to move then.” Kaidan added, “Our amps act up around the electricity, we should be around it as little as possible until we get Sam back.”   
“You ok Kaidan? Usually, you can get Sam to tweak things for your head…” Sara trailed off as Kaidan gave her a small smile.  
“With all, that’s going on today and you worry about me, I am fine for now. Later on, I will find a quiet dark room and sit and rest it will be okay.”  
“Urgh, the rest of our shuttle.” Sara gestured to the half shuttle that lay in a conspicuously open area.  
“Keep your guard up,” Kaidan stated, his eyes scanning the area for any of their friendly aliens.  
“Trap!”Liam cried as more than ten aliens circled behind them.  
“Stay focused.” Sara replied, “Don’t let them get behind us.”  
“Too late.”  
“Shit.”  
“Just fight them, one at a time until they are gone,” Kaidan suggested, Sara nodded, no use being overwhelmed by everything at once.   
“Oh no…” Sara rammed into something solid, body and invisible.”Invisible dog?”  
“What is that thing?”  
“Best to not know. It scans as organic. So it’s not been modified.”  
“It’s organic?” Kaidan asked, surprised, kneeling to get a closer look.  
“So my scanner says, again I…”  
“Don’t have sam.” Liam and Kaidan said in unison. Sara laughed.  
“Well yeah. I am not dumb completely without sam but being a new universe things are a bit odd here. “  
“Ok, so the dog is odd.” Kaidan nodded at the creature and its masters. “I presume it is not an intelligence they talk to but like ours.”   
“Oh, I hope so. Sara replied as they started heading once more further down the path.”  
“Look at the flare!”   
“It might be our people!” Liam gasped with excitement.  
“Or another trap,” Sara muttered. “Yeah, it might be our people.”   
“Is that a building?”  
“Eh looks like a ship to me?” Sara shrugged as they moved forward. Using jump jets she scrambled to the next story, scanning the bodies of aliens. “Fried in the lightning.”  
“At least the lighting isn’t being picky,” Liam commented  
“And it means they most likely aren’t from here,” Sara noted  
“So what is this place?” Liam was squinting at things, crates most likely, stacked in the corner.  
“I don’t know, light would help us. Kaidan see anything?”  
“Let me look around?” Kaidan poked around and jumped up to the next landing his foot colliding with something that sounded metallic as he gained his balance. That would be a generator he reasoned, so with hope, he pressed what appeared to be the on button.  
“What the hell!” Sara yelled.  
“Oh that.” the light came on and the noise cut out, the next few minutes Sara spent looking around at various things.  
“Oh hey, that door opened when Kaidan got the power on?”  
“Let’s take a look.” Sara decided, leading them into the room. The buzzing was louder here, the energy stronger and she looked at Kaidan in concern.  
“I might wait outside if that’s okay.”  
“Sure Kaidan, it’s fine I will grab scans and make this fast,” Sara replied with her hand going to the back of her head where her own amp was buzzing, though she imagined not nearly as much as Kaidan was dealing with.  
“So the scans then?” Liam asked, “This stuff is… it looks like an archeological dig?”  
“Yeah, they were trying to dig in. The console is dead.” she moved towards the door and gave an involuntary cry of pain, Liam grabbed her and pulled her back, just in time for a robot of some kind next to it to come to life.  
“Holy... “ Liam cried.  
“The robot is the same age as the console..” Sara supplied curiosity overriding the pain that was still cloying about her amp. “So they were trying to get into whatever is behind there? Uncover its secrets maybe?”  
“Wow, you really know your stuff?”  
“You doubted?”  
“Saw you and your brother’s names on the Pathfinder team list figured your dad pulled some strings and…”  
“No, she’s as good as the job requires,” Kaidan replied quietly, Sara sighed, happy to be out of the room with the electricity clawing at her brain.   
“I didn’t know... I mean both of you?”  
“Yeah Scott is a hell of a soldier.” Sara said it quietly but Kaidan saw her annoyance at having to defend themselves “don’t worry Liam, you are not the first one to question whether I can do my job or not, and I highly doubt you will be the last.”  
“Shit, I'm an ass, ignore me.” Liam sighed "Truth is, I don’t know anything about you and made assumptions based on the fact your dad was running this, but you have pulled our butts out of the fire a few times now; and I owe you for that at least. “  
“So running your mouth is an occupational hazard?” Kaidan asked with a grin trying to diffuse the situation.  
“Yes, sir…” Liam blinked “Um Kaidan. You know that’s hard to get used to.”  
“You are telling me, I was in the military forever. Everyone was sir or ma’am, but Andromeda isn’t about following the military, it was about following my dreams” Kaidan’s eyes flitted to Sara who was massaging her temple, so much for worrying about his headaches; “ah for peace and hoping to have a life.”  
“You’re the big hero here,” Liam added “I mean you worked with THE Commander Shepard.”  
“Yeah, I did.” Kaidan sighed “Then he died like everyone else.”  
“Sorry man.”  
“That’s better.”  
“What?”  
“Treating me like you would anyone else.” Kaidan flashed a grin.”I am kind of partial to being just like everyone else.”  
“Well, for most of us at least.” Liam glanced at Sara meaningfully, Kaidan shrugged slowly, with the hint of ‘don’t touch her’ involved.  
“We better get to it.” Sara called their attention back, “Sorry, my head was feeling real…”  
“It’s fine, the sooner we are done, the sooner you can get to the med bay,” Kaidan replied.   
They opened the door to the outside.  
Lightning zapped a rod and traveled down to the ground, in a fantastic arc of power.  
“Well, the weather is still crap.” Sara observed, “And we have company.”  
“Are these guys following us?  
“Maybe? Or we stumbled on their camps.”  
“Let’s deal with them and keep going, a path down on our left,” Sara noted. The two men followed her directions and soon they were clear of the camp.  
“Ow do you hear that?”Sara asked annoyed.  
“Like a tapping sound?  
“Someone tapping a mic?”  
“Greer.” they looked at each other in concern and broke into a run, heading up into a cave.  
“Greer get down, we have this,” Sara yelled at the man who took cover as the three entered and dealt with the enemy.  
“Are you okay?”  
“Yeah, just glad you ran in when you did.”  
“Tapping the mic was a good plan,” Kaidan replied approvingly nodding at Greer.  
“Geer,” Sara said quietly “Fisher is at the shuttle. Kirkland is... Well, he didn't...…”  
“No…. this isn't possible, he and I have been friends for…” Greer scrubbed his hand over his face “we served together. There will be time for grieving later, just get us off this rock.”  
“Will do our best.” Sara nodded “Get back to Fisher, he has a broken leg and needs help.”  
“Alright.”  
“See you soon, we are going to go find my dad.”  
“Be careful out there.” Geer replied, “These things are far from friendly.”

They headed out of the cave and down the track that was apparently well walked.  
“Look at all this junk! Do you think those aliens left it?”Liam asked, kicking a piece of broken pipe with his boot.  
“Yeah, they probably did.” Sara frowned “Or the previous owners.”  
“Hey look, is that a cave?” He jogged ahead of them and Sara shook her head.  
“It’s like watching an overactive toddler sometimes” she muttered and Kaidan huffed a chuckle.   
The cave Liam had found was not like the rest of the weather-torn planet, it was, to begin with, green, and secondly, it seemed to exude life of a kind they had envisioned from the milky way.  
“ Well, how about that.”   
“ It’s…. This is what Dad was looking at..” Sara frowned scanning the tree in the middle of the cave “ It doesn't tell us what happened to its friends outside.”   
“How can it … hey look someone has a trap here…” Liam had walked around the tree.  
“Our alien friends maybe?”  
“Not nice to anyone then.” Kaidan commented, “Any idea’s what would cause this?”   
“ An example of a microclimate?”  
“So the tower we saw, it’s causing all this?” Liam asked.  
“ Seems likely.” Sara nodded as she led the way out of the cave and around back towards the way they came.  
“Sar!” Kadan yelled, her turn to not be paying attention, they were suddenly on top of a crash site, not one of theirs but one of the alien ships.  
“ Oh.” Sara frowned scanning around as Kaidan poked one of the closed crates.   
“ Hey, Sara look at this.”   
“ Oh, it’s food. I think.” She completed her scan with the omni-tool and nodded “It’s not from the milky way, definitely one of theirs.”  
“So they aren’t from here?”  
“Would seem that way.”   
“ Alright.” Sara exhaled, “ let's head for where that flare fired then, we have to think it’s the others now.”   
“ Good point.” Kaidan agreed “ Be within range shortly.” 

“This is Cora… can anyone read…” The three of them looked at each other before Sara pulled up her omni-tool and found she could finally get a signal.  
“ Cora! Your Alive!”   
“ Sara? Liam? And…. Alenko?” Sara nodded to each of the names, there would be time later to sort out the problems in the team, but for now, they could join up and help the team.  
“ We are surrounded.” Cora filled them in.  
“ They are not friendly. We are on our way.” Sara turned and glanced grimly at the other two, if they delayed for even a moment, they may lose the others and the ship that they had been on.   
“ Let’s go,” Kaidain suggested gripping his pistol ready for a fight. They made it at a dead run into the camp, out of breath and ammo the team had plenty of both and Kaidan nodded to Hayes and the doctor as he rounded the other side of the shuttle to help them. Sara and Liam lined up near Cora.  
“Light them up!” Liam yelled.  
“Pick your targets!” Kaidan added from the other side of the shuttle “ Careful!”   
“ No shortage of those!”   
“Incoming!”   
At the incoming, they fought in silence killing the aliens before they had a chance to kill them.   
“Kosta, Ryder, and Alenko, there is ammo and weapons at the shuttle, stock up.”   
Sara grabbed a sniper's rifle from the pile of weapons, she recognized it as one of her dad’s - he must be scouting.  
“ Okay, we…”   
“ Take cover…. We have more incoming…” Kaidan yelled again, Hayes yelped and dived into the shuttle where she was working.  
“ Take a position,” Sara warned the others. “ We don't know what they have for us.”   
“ Literally anything they have I can take!” Liam said with more ferocity than Sara had thought he was showing in the fight.  
“ Woah there Liam just settle…. “:  
“Sorry… but they killed Kirkland…”   
“ Yeah, and they would have killed all of us if we lost our cool” Sara snapped “Let’s focus on the fight.”   
It was sharp and dirty, the aliens for whom they had no name yet were busy chasing down the barricades that had been erected by Cora and Harry to protect the shuttle a bit.  
“ Determined to get rid of us.”   
“Are those dogs?”   
“ Yeah but not as you know it, Hayes!” Sara managed to turn at the right moment to thwack one of the invisible dogs. “Not in Kansas anymore!”   
“Damn.. and here I was thinking we would be able to have pets.”   
The last shuttle was hit by lightning as it took off, a fitting end for the ferocity of the attack.  
“What did we do to them?” Hayes asked as she crawled from within the space of the shuttle out into the side where Sara, Liam, and Cora were fighting.  
“I dunno but it must have been bad!” Sara replied, her sense of humor clawing its way to the surface “Maybe we gave them some bad food or something but…” Another stealthed dog in the way, and then another, these pets were taught to hunt well, The fighting finally died down, ending with Liam unloading into one of them with his assault gun.  
"Liam!" Kaidan said, his voice the tone of authority " Liam, that's enough ."  
"These bastards killed Kirkland." Liam almost spat on the one on the ground in front of him.  
"Control your anger." Sara warned as she felt the air charge." shit, take cover!"  
"Hayes is hurt!" Doctor Carlyle stated, slumping to the open ground as Cora shielded them with a biotic shield.  
"Wow, I didn't know you were a biotic." Liam was saying to Cora.  
"Don’t worry it’s not contagious." Cora folded her arms.  
"That's not what I…. I didn't mean it like that." Liam stared at Cora, unable to process just how angry she had sounded “I just literally had no idea you were a biotic, I have no feelings either way against or for biotics. A friend back home used his to rescue people, another one was in the police force. I doubt you would be here if you didn’t think you could use them to help.”  
“Enough.” Kaidan snapped.  
“Guys!” Hayes yelled at them, trying to get their attention.  
“Oh.” Liam shook his head and moved out, intending to circle a bit to keep their perimeter safe. Kaidan glanced at Sara and she sighed, nodding.  
“Hayes, what have you got for us?” He asked, coming over as Doctor Carlyle kept an eye on her wounds.   
“Before I got shot, I got the comms back online.”   
“Ok, you did good. Just.. let the doctor do his thing and relax, we will get off this rock.” Doctor Carlyle looked at Kaidan and nodded, unspoken communication between them.   
“This is Alenko, Sam do you read?”  
“Mr. Alenko, this is Sam. The pathfinder would like to speak with you and Sara.” Nodding Kaidan gestured for Sara to open her comms as well.  
“Good to see you alive.” The older Ryder spoke almost hesitating. “What’s our status?”  
“We have a few who have been injured, and we need to get them back to the Hyperion,” Sara said clearly, again Kaidan saw the soldier responding to her commander.   
“We can’t depart in this storm.” Alec Ryder stated   
“I don’t think we have much time.” Sara’s eyes flitted to Hayes, much to Kaidan’s surprise she seemed to understand the gravity of the injury. “Do you have any idea of how we can get around the storm?”  
“I am scouting out the tower, we need to change the feedback… damn it, they saw me. “  
“Sir?”Kaidan asked, falling instantly back on Alliance habits. He looked at Sara who nodded grabbing her gun and checking her loadout was still complete.   
“Sam? Give you a location for the pathfinder, let him know we are on our way.” Kaidan took a deep breath and exhaled “Liam you're with us. Cora, keep an eye on this camp, keep those two safe. Let’s go.”  
They took off at a dead run, with Liam following behind, slowing only when they reached the gate.  
“Not ours, incendiary rounds. Dad’s been busy.”  
“Heh do all N7’s use those? Shepard’s favorite too.” Kaidan said shortly after Sara scanned the bodies they continued.  
“The lightning rods are drawing the lightning away from the cliffs. That’s good.” Liam observed.  
“That would be the only way to survive here,” Sara added  
“Or shoot everything,” Liam replied with a heavy dose of anger. Still, that anger would be useful for coming fights if the amount here and elsewhere on the planet, as any sign of what they would find further on.  
“Up here.” Sara said shortly motioning to keep them low. Kaidan went first, then Liam, Sara followed behind. Liam stepped forward warranting a blanket glance from Alec and a hissed  
“Keep down.”  
“There are a lot of them,” Liam observed as he ducked down.  
“I don’t think they are local,” Alec said, Kaidan looked at Sara and gave her a nod to encourage her.  
“They aren’t we found food, supplies, brought in from off-world, as well as dead ones injured in the lightning.”  
“Good work.”  
“The tower… the dark energy is causing a feedback loop?” Kaidan asked  
“Would explain the cave.” Sara mused.  
“Cave?” Alec frowned at her.  
“Had green life, as we saw through the long-range scanners.” Sara lowered her eyes “This place - Andromeda - can support life if we treat it right.”  
“Good to know.”   
“How do we even get there?”Liam asked, missing the problems between daughter and father, “There are a lot of them in our way.”  
“I have been working on that,” Alec replied.   
Kaidan heard Sara mention again how everything with her dad was a speech, how every moment was an event, something the history books would remember. How much she had just wanted to be his kid for five seconds and not competing with the galaxy for his attention.  
An explosion ripped through the lightning rod network, and the lightning began to do half their work for them.  
“Let’s go. Fight to the doors.” 

They did the work and got the doors open. At least Sara and Alec got the doors open.   
“Cora, did you get the shuttle working?” Kaidan asked, calling back to where they had landed.  
“About 1 min.”  
“Should be fine, need to collect Fisher and Greer as well.” Kaidan replied, “here’s our nav point.”  
“Where is Alec?”  
“He and Sara are inside, working the tech of the place. Hopefully to end the feedback loop.”  
“Alright, Hayes is stable, we are swinging to pick up Fisher and Greer.”   
“Let us know if there are…”  
“Alenko? Sir?”  
Kaidan blinked and looked up at the sky, the storm had cleared almost instantly, and Liam stood to join him.  
“That can’t be good for our security.” He noted  
“But it is good for getting off the planet.” Kaidan smiled watching as Sara and her Dad walked out, smiling at least for now.   
“We should tell them..”  
“Leave it, Liam, give them a moment.” Kaidan sighed “Hear something?”  
“Not really?”  
The push of air from inside the tower forced Kaidan to push Liam down behind one of the barriers, and away from seeing what happened with Sara or with Alec.   
“What was that?”  
“I don’t know.” Kaidan stood, catching his breath a moment, Alec’s voice cracked over the group's emergency channel.  
“We need an emergency extraction, what is the ETA?”   
“We are spinning up now, we can be there in three minutes.”  
“We don’t have three minutes.”  
Liam and Kaidan looked at each other horrified.  
“We have to get down there.” Liam didn’t as much ask as stated “Our jump jets should work.”  
“Ok. let’s see what we can do.” Kaidan agreed, already feeling sick in his stomach.  
Landing close to where the other two were on the map, Kaidan had a sinking feeling.  
“I found her.” He called to Liam who had decided to look a little further over. “And Alec.”  
Alec Ryder Lay like he was asleep, but his helmet was squarely on his daughter's head, and Kaidan knew that even before he checked vitals Alec was gone.   
“Sara?” he whispered as he checked hers next, she wasn’t doing well either and it was not a good sign. “Sam? What’s going on?”  
“Mr. Alenko, Sara is the new Pathfinder, Alec passed authority to her.” Kaidan nodded, he didn’t really care at this point, though he would process that later, as he always did. “Will she make it?”  
“Hopefully,” Sam replied quietly; and Kaidan could only hold out that it would be good enough.   
“Cora, need you to hurry on that shuttle… “ Kaidan called, and he could hear the shake in his voice.   
“Alenko! What is happening?”  
“Tell Doctor Carlyle we have another patient for him.”


End file.
